FA commission dismisses Terry’s evidence

Reuters, LONDON

The commission found there were discrepancies in Cole’s initial statement to FA interviewers of what he heard Ferdinand say to Terry compared to later statements.

Cole did not mention the word “black” in his initial interview with the FA. Barnard asked the FA for the word “black” to be inserted into Cole’s statement, suggesting the defender may have heard Ferdinand use the term.

“All of this causes the commission to have very real concerns about the accuracy of Mr Barnard’s recollections, and the motivation for the assertions that he makes in his witness statement about what Mr Cole said during the FA interview of him, particularly his alleged use of the word ‘black,’” the report said.